By Carol P. Bartold

May 13, 2015:  As commencement approaches at Bronxville High School, attention has turned to completion of the auditorium, under renovation and reconstruction since February of 2014.

According to Dan Carlin, assistant superintendent for business at The Bronxville School, the replacement contractor on the project, Fasano Acchione & Associates, has acknowledged that completion is falling behind agreed-upon, and tight, timelines. International Fidelity Insurance Company, surety for the project, appointed the firm when the original general contractor, Kenstar Construction, abandoned the job.

Carlin reported to the Bronxville Board of Education at its May 7 meeting that determining whether the construction site will be cleaned up and the fence taken down by the June 20 graduation date is "still up in the air."

Carlin noted that inside the auditorium the concrete pour for the floor is almost complete, with the side aisles and rear aisles in place. When crews remove a large piece of equipment from the interior, concrete for the middle section of the auditorium can be done. That work was scheduled for Monday, May 11, and Tuesday, May 12.

Interior millwork, he said, "looks very nice, but it's going slowly." The district is encouraging the contractor to put a second shift on the job to meet the construction timeline. "In the final analysis," he said, "they may think that paying liquidated damages might be a cheaper alternative than paying overtime or double time or whatever it takes to work on weekends or a second night shift." The contract calls for liquidated damages of $1,000 per day should the contractor fail to meet timelines.

Board President Denise Tormey stated that the district cannot require the contractor to put a second shift on the site or require overtime payments. She noted that, since the district's cost for the auditorium project is fixed, the contractor will bear any additional completion costs. "They're not going to want to do that," she said.

Both Tormey and Carlin agreed that quality workmanship must take precedence over accelerating the work. Tormey said that there is a middle ground, however, between shoddy workmanship and putting a little more effort and additional time into the project to complete it on time.

"We are trying to maintain the most positive relationship possible with the replacement contractor," Carlin said. "We are trying to maintain a positive environment so that the quality of workmanship persists."

Exterior work continues with a mason onsite preparing to lay exterior brick walls. Concrete block work is complete and has been waterproofed, Carlin reported. He also related that concrete molding that matches the building's existing profile has been secured and should be installed concurrently with the exterior brick.

Tormey related that the district has requested more frequent updates from the contractor on benchmark dates as well as the projected substantial completion date and expects to receive those updates on a regular basis.

Weather permitting, commencement will be held on the front lawn of the school. The district wants the option to hold the ceremony in the auditorium in case of inclement weather.

Pictured here:  Bronxville School auditorium, still under construction. 

Photo by A. Warner